Water resource policy, sometimes called water resource management or water management, encompasses the policy-making processes and legislation that affect the collection, preparation, use, disposal, and protection of water resources.Tripp, James T. B. "Tensions and Conflicts in Federal Pollution Control and Water Resource Policy." Harvard Journal on Legislation, vol. 14, no. 2, February 1977, p. 225–280. via HeinOnline. The long-term viability of water supply systems poses a significant challenge as a result of water resource depletion, climate change, and population expansion.
Water is a necessity for all forms of life as well as industries on which humans are reliant, like technology development and agriculture. This global need for clean water access necessitates water resource policy to determine the means of supplying and protecting water resources. Water resource policy varies by region and is dependent on water availability or scarcity, the condition of aquatic systems, and regional needs for water. Since water basins do not align with national borders, water resource policy is also determined by international agreements, also known as hydropolitics. Water quality protection also falls under the umbrella of water resource policy; laws protecting the chemistry, biology, and ecology of aquatic systems by reducing and eliminating pollution, regulating its usage, and improving the quality are considered water resource policy. When developing water resource policies, many different stakeholders, environmental variables, and considerations have to be taken to ensure the health of people and ecosystems are maintained or improved. Finally, ocean zoning, coastal, and environmental resource management are also encompassed by water resource management, like in the instance of offshore wind land leasing.
As water scarcity increases with climate change, the need for robust water resource policies will become more prevalent. An estimated 57% of the world's population will experience water scarcity at least one month out of the year by 2050. Mitigation and updated water resource policies will require interdisciplinary and international collaboration, including government officials, environmental scientists, sociologists, economists, climate modelers, and activists.
Water as a resource When considering its utility as a resource and developing water resource policy, water can be classified into 4 different categories: green, blue, gray, and virtual water. Blue water is surface and groundwater, like water in rivers, lakes, and aquifers. Green water is rainwater that was precipitated on soil that can be used naturally for plants and agriculture. Gray water is water that has been contaminated by human use or proximity. The gray water classification can range from freshwater fertilizer runoff pollution to water contaminated from dishwashers and showers. Virtual water is the water consumed to make an agricultural or industrial product. Calculating virtual water of a commodity is used to determine the water footprint of a country and see how much water they are importing and exporting through their goods.
Types
Agreements between nations Water basins do not align with national borders and an estimated 60% of worldwide freshwater flows across political boundaries.United Nations Department of Public Information. (2004). International Decade for Action Water for Life 2005–2015. Water Without Borders. The United Nations. Countries navigate managing shared water resources by making agreements in the form of treaties. Treaties between nations may enumerate policies, rights and responsibilities. The Permanent Court of International Justice adjudicates disputes between nations, including water rights litigation. An estimated 3600 water treaties have existed, including the introduction of more than 150 new ones since 1950. Transboundary water agreements, like treaties, are oftentimes focused on water infrastructure and quality. Water resource treaties encompass many types of water like surface water, groundwater, watercourses, and dams.Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. (1994). Treaties concerning the non-navigational uses of international watercourses - Asia, FAO Legislative Study No. 55, Rome. When a water resource can be shared equally, like a river acting as a border between nations, there tends to be less conflict than upstream/downstream water resource sharing agreements. Sometimes treaties establish joint committees between the two or more nations to oversee all water sharing and to ensure that treaty agreements are being met. Two examples of this are the 1996 Ganges Treaty between India and Bangladesh and the 1955 Great Lakes Basin Compact between the United States and Canada. With increasing water scarcity and competition for water resources due to climate change and diminished water quality, there has been an increase in international water-based conflict.
Another example of a water resource interstate agreement is through multi-country agreements to get funding for water resource projects such as building hydropower dams. In Sub-Saharan African countries, China has financed many hydropower projects.
Covenants and declarations In Water Resource Policy, covenants and declarations are nonbinding goals for reaching universal human access to water for drinking and sanitation purposes. The United Nations has adopted three covenants and declarations: the 1948 Declaration of Human Rights, the 1966 International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, and the 1966 International Covenant on Economic, Social, and Cultural Rights. Since the 1996 International Covenant on Economic, Social, and Cultural Rights declaration, all 191 UN member states have also signed the Millennium Development Goals, which is a further commitment to combat health inequalities. Access to safe and clean water for drinking and sanitation were fully declared human rights on July 28, 2010 through the UN General Assembly resolution A/RES/64/292.
Management rules and regulations
Water management rules and regulations dictate different national standards for water quality, like drinking water and environmental water quality standards. For example, in the United States, the Safe Drinking Water Act authorizes the Environmental Protection Agency to set the national standards for safe drinking water and set regulations for contaminants. Within the European Union, the European Environment Agency enacted the Water Framework Directive in 2000 to regulate water resource planning, management, and protection. In India, the Ministry of Environment and Forests sets the water management policies that the Central Pollution Control Board and the State Pollution Control Boards then enforce. The Ministry for Environmental Protection directions national efforts for water management and regulation in China, like the Law on Prevention and Control of Water Pollution.Winalski, D.. (2009). Cleaner water in China? The implications of the amendments to China's law on the prevention and control of water pollution. 24. 181-201.
Aid programs and diplomatic efforts Several global organizations have created aid programs and diplomatic efforts to see that progress is being made towards achieving global covenants and declarations regarding water resource access. Because health is closely tied to drinking water and sanitation access, UNICEF and the World Health Organization formed the Joint Monitoring Programme for Water Supply and Sanitation focused exclusively on monitoring and reporting progress on water, sanitation and hygiene goals as dictated by the UN. In 1977, the United Nations convened for a Conference on Water in Mar del Plata to develop recommendations for national water policy. Subsequently, the United Nations declared the 1980s as the International Drinking-water Supply and Sanitation Decade. In 2000, the UN sanctioned a task force led by UNESCO, World Water Assessment Programme, to report on worldwide freshwater use and sustainability in the World Water Development Report. In 2003, UN-Water was formed as an interagency coordination tool to help countries achieve their water resource goals as set by the Millennium Development Goals and make global water governance frameworks. Additionally, the United Nations declared 2013 as the International Year of Water Cooperation. As well as the United Nations' interest in water resource policy for the benefit of human health, the United Nations Environmental Programme has also done work to improve international water quality.
Non-profits and non-governmental organizations also play a role in water resource policy. For example, the World Water Council is an international think tank established in 1996 to help countries and stakeholders with water resource management strategies. Additionally, the US Agency for International Development (USAID) developed a Water and Development Strategy in 2013 to help people improve water supply, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) programs and help with water resource management.
Economic exchanges
Water Resource Policy also encompasses the economic exchange of water, known as virtual water. The term virtual water is used to understand and quantify the volume of water required for a product or service. For example, when determining the virtual water trade for agricultural goods, the trade flow rate (ton/yr) would be multiplied by the virtual water content (m3/ton) of each type of produce or livestock to determine how much water was exchanged in addition to the good. According to these calculations for virtual water, India, the United States, and China are the top national consumers for virtual water. Critiques for this method have questioned virtual water's relevance in creating water resource policy, but understanding the trade of water may be useful for countries facing water scarcity to prioritize importation of virtual water instead of exportation of water-intensive goods and services.
Business water resource policy initiatives
The World Business Council for Sustainable Development engages stakeholders in H2OScenarios that consider various alternative policies and their effects.
In June 2011 in Geneva, the Future of Water Virtual Conference addressed water resource sustainability. Issues raised included: water infrastructure monitoring, global water security, potential resource wars, interaction between water, energy, food and economic activity, the "true value" of "distribution portions of available water" and a putative "investment gap" in water infrastructure. It was asserted that climate change will affect scarcity of water but the water security presentation emphasized that a combined effect with population growth "could be devastating". Identified corporate water related risks include physical supply, regulatory and product reputation.
This forum indicated policy concerns with: trade barriers, price supports, treatment of water as a free good creates underpricing of 98% of water, need to intensify debate, and need to harmonize public/private sectors
Issues
Environmental Freshwater resources on earth are under increasing stress and depletion because of pollution, climate change, and consumptive use.
Flood